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Tag: Jeremiah Josey

  • Episode 12 – The Dismay of Radiophobia – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 5, Part 2

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and the team at The Thorium Network

    Remembering Leslie Corrice’s words from Episode 11, Corrice’s dismay over the results of radiophobia are echoed by many professionals, one being Dr. Antone “Tony” Brooks, who grew up in “fallout-drenched” St. George, Utah, which led him to study radiation at Cornell University. For an excellent, short video of the conclusions he reached, please visit:

    Our Stories: “Fallout Man” with Tony Brooks – 2017 SILVER TELLY AWARD WINNER

    Dr. Gunnar Walinder, an eminent Swedish radiation scientist, bluntly told UNSCEAR, “…LNT is the greatest scientific scandal of the 20th Century.”

    Some Perspectives on Actions on Areas Contaminated by Radioactive Fallout Gunnar WalinderDownload

    The Harmful and Fraudulent Basis for the LNT Assumption, August 2017, Charles Sanders

    Doctors petitioning NRC to revise radiation protection regulations June 29, 2015, Rod Adams

    LNT begat ALARA
    “As Low As Reasonably Acheiveable”
    LNT- “Any radiation can kill you
    minimise the risk”.
    “Achievable” depends on technology, not health effects.
    Country Tritium Limits
    Canada 0.1 mSv/y World Health Org
    US 0.04 mSv/yr LWRs can meet

    Alarming ALARA

    The belief that tiny amounts of radiation can be lethal created ALARA – As Low As Reasonably Achievable – an anti-nuclear bias that has permeated our regulations for decades. However, “reasonably” is vague, and “achievable” depends on technology, not health effects.

    For example, the World Health Organisation has set a public exposure limit for tritium from nuclear power plants of 0.1 mSv per year. Canada’s reactors comply with this limit, but due to ALARA, the limit in the USA is 0.04 mSv per year. Why? Because it is achievable – not because it is necessary.

    Tritium (also known as hydrogen-3), is often used in watches and emergency exit signs. It is also present in our food and water. Furthermore, its tiny nucleus emits a particle so slow that it cannot even penetrate skin. In comparison, the Potassium-40 in our omnipresent banana emits beta particles that are 230 times as energetic, but no one worries about those deadly bananas.

    “Adults would have to drink ~3 gallons of Vermont-Yankee tritiated water every day to match the internal radiation they get from the Potassium-40 in their own bodies.”

    Mike Conley

    LNT and ALARA can easily lead to absurdities: For example, airline passengers are exposed to about 20 times more cosmic radiation than those at ground level, but despite the dire predictions of LNT, they experience no more cancer than those who don’t fly. Should jets be required to fly at low altitudes, where they produce more greenhouse gases, just to satisfy ALARA – and what about the flight attendants and pilots who constantly work in higher levels of cosmic radiation?

    As Radiation detection technology improves, ALARA just increases fear.

    cesium 137 decay
    137Caesium decay scheme showing half-lives, daughter nuclides, and types and proportion of radiation emitted.

    Caesium-137 from Fukushima is detectable, so Counter Punch complains of Blue Fun tuna containing 0.0000077 mSv per 7 oz serving [200 grams], writing “… no radiation exposure of any kind is safe”.

    Washington’s Hanford storage site has a budget of about USD 3 billion per year, much of which is used to try to reduce area radiation to the LNT-based standard of less than 0.15 mSv. (Normal Denver exposure is 40 times higher.)

    construction of nuclear waste storage tanks at hanford 1943
    Construction of Nuclear Waste Storage Tanks at Hanford 1943

    It is wasteful to spend money “protecting” people from tiny amounts of radiation. Instead, let’s finance programs that help people stop smoking, which brings carcinogens like cyanide, formaldehyde, ammonia, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide into intimate contact with their lungs. (Smoking related diseases kill 5 million people per year).

    Radiation exposure in reactor buildings is so low that it isn’t an issue, but educating the public on basic environmental radiation is a very critical issue.

    For example, after Fukushima, lack of accurate radiation knowledge and the media’s eagerness to hype radiation issues caused a run on potassium iodide [KI] pills along our west coast, but no media explained that this was pointless. Pharmacies ran out, and some patients who needed KI couldn’t get it, while those who needlessly took it actually raised their chances of disease because too much KI can cause thyroid malfunction.

    Radiation is safe within limits
    LNT and ALARA are regulation policies, not scientific facts. Replace them
    An evidence-based radiation safety limit would be 100 mSv per year.
    Rational regulation is all that is needed to let nuclear power thrive and solve our global environmental and economic crises.

    Dr. Robert Hargraves, the author of THORIUM: Energy Cheaper than Coal, writes,

    “Radiation safety limits have been ratcheted down from 150 mSv/year in 1948 to 5 mSv/y in 1957 to 1 mSv/y in 1991 without supporting evidence by relying on the erroneous LNT model. EPA limits are set 100 times lower than levels that could cause harm. ALARA leads people, the press, and Big Green to falsely conclude that any radiation exposure may kill you.”

    thorium energy cheaper than coal robert hargraves
    Thorium – energy cheaper than coal
    Robert Hargraves – Aim High! @ TEAC3

    However, just 50 mSv/yr is the new limit proposed  by Dr. Carol Marcus and other experts in their 2015 petition that requests the NRC to increase the limits based on current knowledge.

    The petitioner recommends the following changes to 10 CFR part 20:

    (1) Worker doses should remain at present levels, with allowance of up to 100 mSv (10 rem) effective dose per year if the doses are chronic.

    (2) ALARA should be removed entirely from the regulations. The petitioner argues that “it makes no sense to decrease radiation doses that are not only harmless but may be hormetic.”

    (3) Public doses should be raised to worker doses. The petitioner notes that “these low doses may be hormetic. The petitioner goes on to ask, “why deprive the public of the benefits of low dose radiation?”

    (4) End differential doses to pregnant women, embryos and fetuses, and children under 18 years of age.

    Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), United States of America

    For more on the consequences of accepting LNT, which led to ALARA, please see these links:

    Scientists for Accurate Radiation Information – S.A.R.I.

    XLNT Foundation website

    Absurd Radiation Limits Are a Trillion Dollar Waste

    James Conca, Forbes magazine – 2014

    James Conca, in Forbes: “There are some easy decisions to make that will save us a trillion dollars, and they could be made soon by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA could raise the absurdly low radiation levels considered to be a threat to the public. These limits were based upon biased and fraudulent “research” in the 1940’s through the 1960’s, when we were frightened of all things nuclear and knew almost nothing about our cells’ ability to repair damage from excess radiation.

    “These possible regulatory changes have been triggered by the threat of nuclear terrorism and by the unnecessary evacuation of tens of thousands of Japanese after Fukushima Daiichi, and hundreds of thousands of Russians after Chernobyl. There, the frightened authorities were following U. S. plans that were created because of the ALARA policy (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) that has always been misinterpreted to mean that all forms of radiation are dangerous, no matter at what level. It’s led to our present absurdly low threat level of 25 millirem.

    “Keep in mind that radiation workers can get 5,000 mrem/year and think nothing of it. We’ve never had problems with these levels. Emergency responders can get up to 25,000 mrem to save human lives and property. I would take 50,000 mrem just to save my cat.

    “This wouldn’t be bad if it didn’t have really serious social and economic side-effects, like pathological fear, significant deaths during any forced evacuation, not receiving medical care that you should have, shutting down nuclear power plants to fire up fossil fuel plants, and a trillion-dollar price tag trying to clean up minor radiation that even Nature doesn’t care about.”

    Approximately 100,000 people were evacuated from the Fukushima area after the meltdown, and by September, 2013, about 1,200 evacuees had died from suicide and the stress of the excessive evacuation.

    Dr. Brian Hanley
    Dr. Brian Hanley
    radiation e28093 exposure and its treatment a modern handbook
    Radiation – Exposure and its treatment A modern handbook

    Dr. Brian Hanley: [Fukushima] “If no evacuation had occurred, and everyone had lived outdoors with no precautions, at most 15 cancer deaths might have happened, but probably none.

    “People have been going to radioactive spas in Ramsar, Iran for a long time without ill effect. In a 2-week visit, the dose would be a maximum of 10 mSv. That is 6 to 80 times more radioactive than the evacuation zone of Fukushima.”

    Ramsar Houses Iran
    Ramsar
    Grand Ramsar Hotel
    Grand Ramsar Hotel
    ramsar ira flowers
    Ramsar
    dr. robert hargraves

    “To enable nuclear power, the NRC must renounce the non-scientific basis for LNT and ALARA”

    Dr. Robert Hargraves

    Coming up next week, Episode 13 – What’s So Great about Nuclear Power

    Links and References

    1. Next Episode – Episode 13 – What’s So Great about Nuclear Power
    2. Previous Episode – Episode 11 – Looking for Radiation
    3. Launching the Unintended Consequences Series
    4. Dr. George Erickson’s Website, Tundracub.com
    5. The full pdf version of Unintended Consequences
    6. https://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/
    7. https://worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n77019846/
    8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Scientific_Committee_on_the_Effects_of_Atomic_Radiation
    8. https://www.osti.gov/etdeweb/servlets/purl/20637408
    9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/318986234_The_Harmful_and_Fraudulent_Basis_for_the_LNT_Assumption
    10. https://atomicinsights.com/doctors-petitioning-nrc-to-revise-radiation-protection-regulations/
    11. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/glossary/alara.html
    12. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/tritium-radiation-fs.html
    13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium
    14. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-conley-5529b3/
    15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesium-137
    16. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/science-data/fukushima-radiation-us-west-coast-tuna
    17. https://www.nuclear-power.com/nuclear-engineering/radiation-protection/equivalent-dose/sievert-unit-of-equivalent-dose/sievert-gray-becquerel-conversion-calculation/
    18. https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/Documents/Pubs//320-015_cleanup_e.pdf
    19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site
    20. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm
    21. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/emergencies/ki.htm
    22. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roberthargraves/
    23. https://www.amazon.com/THORIUM-energy-cheaper-than-coal/dp/1478161299
    24. https://thoriumenergyalliance.com/resource/robert-hargraves-aim-high/
    25. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOoBTufkEog
    26. https://www.linkedin.com/in/carol-s-marcus-ph-d-m-d-11111a62/
    27. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/rulemaking-ruleforum/petitions-by-year/2015/index.html
    28. https://atomicinsights.com/doctors-petitioning-nrc-to-revise-radiation-protection-regulations/
    29. https://www.regulations.gov/document/NRC-2015-0057-0010
    30. http://radiationeffects.org/
    31. http://www.x-lnt.org/
    32. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/07/13/absurd-radiation-limits-are-a-trillion-dollar-waste/
    33. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-conca-2a51037/
    34. http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2013/06/18/fukushima-2-25-the-humanitarian-crisis/
    35. https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-hanley-983312/
    36. https://www.amazon.com/Radiation-Exposure-treatment-modern-handbook-ebook/dp/B00D7KLQYY
    37. http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2018/ph241/lance2/
    38. https://parsianramsar.pih.ir/
    39. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsar%2C_Iran

    #GeorgeErickson #UnintendedConsequences #Thorium #Fukushima #ALARA #Radiophobia #Ramsar

  • Episode 11 – Looking for Radiation – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 5 Part 1

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and the team at The Thorium Network

    The Consequences of Overreaction

    ALARA = As Low As Reasonably Achievable

    LNT [Linear No Threshold Theory] was pushed through the U.N. by Russia and China in the 1950’s to stop America’s above-ground weapons testing. It worked, but it also caused a worldwide fear of radiation below levels that are dangerous.. The radiation safety people liked it because it seemed so… conservative. But it has become an ideology “ruled by hysteria and fuelled by ignorance.” Dr. Kathy Reichs, Society for the Advancement of Education.

    Cancer And Death by Radiation? Not From Fukushima, James Conca, Forbes 2014

    Fukushima Radiation Decline in Evacuation Area
    Contamination dropping in evacuation zone
    07 June 2013

    IAEA would recommend evacuation of the areas in RED [>166 mSv/yr]

    Japanese Government
    – Resettlement allowed < 20 mSv per year
    – Remediation Goal 1 mSv per year
    – More Confusion –

    The Linear No-Threshold Relationship Is Inconsistent with Radiation Biologic and Experimental Data, Tubiana, Feinendegen, Yang, Kaminski, Radiology, April 2009

    Dr. Tim Maloney: “Anyone living permanently in the green zone would only receive a dose rate equal to twice the rate in Colorado, where the cancer rate is less than the US average. The dose rate in the dark red regions is 1/3 of the safety threshold set by the International Commission on System of Radiological Protection in 1934. Even by today’s extreme standards, this level of exposure carries no known cancer risk.

    “Anxious to impress, officials and reporters donned white suits and masks, which made good TV but did nothing for the child who saw the school playground being dug up by workers who were afraid of an unseen evil called radiation. Unfortunately, most people see their fears confirmed as fact when workers and officials dress this way. An open-necked shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a firm hand shake and a cup of tea would be a better way to reassure.”

    fukushima playground dug up
    A man uses a roller near a Geiger counter, measuring a radiation level of 0.207 microsieverts per hour, during nuclear radiation decontamination work at a park in Koriyama. Photograph: Toru Hanai/Reuters

    Imagine the anxiety created by clueless officials who provided useless information, as when a school official warned parents that the radiation intensity was 0.14 micro Sieverts per hour, which was meaningless because the normal radiation level in some Japanese cities can be five times that high.

    fukushima radiation childs hands in air
    Officials in protective gear check for signs of radiation on children who are from the evacuation area near the Fukushima nuclear plant on March 13, 2011, two days after the accident began. Photo: Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters

    Fukushima Fear of Radiation Killed People

    In 2012, UNSCEAR stated, “…no clinically observable effects have been reported and there is no evidence of acute radiation injury in any of the 20,115 workers who participated in Tepco’s efforts to mitigate the accident at the plant.”

    A year later, UNSCEAR added: “Radiation exposure following the accident at Fukushima Daiichi did not cause any immediate health effects. It is unlikely [that there will be] any health effects among the general public and the vast majority of workers.”

    And in an April, 2014 follow-up, UNSCEAR reported that, “Overall, people in Fukushima are expected on average to receive less than 10 mSv due to the accident over their whole lifetime, compared with the 170 mSv lifetime dose from natural background radiation that most people in Japan typically receive.”

    Finally, in October, 2015, UNSCEAR confirmed that none of the new information accumulated after the 2013 report “materially affected the main findings in, or challenged the major assumptions of, the 2013 report.” However, despite these positive reports, as of November, 2016, most of the 150,000 people who were forced to evacuate still lived in temporary housing.

    Dr. Jane Orient, who practices internal medicine agreed: “The number of radiation casualties from the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactors stands at zero. In Fukushima Prefecture, the casualties from radiation terror number more than 1,600… The U.S. is vulnerable to the same radiation terror as occurred in Japan because of using the wrong dose-response model, which is based on the linear no- threshold hypothesis (LNT), for assessing radiation health risks.”

    The number of radiation casualties from the meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactors stands at zero.

    Dr. Jane Orient

    The following is an excerpt from Whole-body Counter Surveys of over 2700 babies and small children in and around Fukushima Prefecture from 33 to 49 months after the Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident:

    babyscan fukushima standing
    BABYSCAN – Peekaboo – Looking for Radiation

    “The BABYSCAN, a whole-body counter (WBC) for small children, was developed in 2013, and units have been installed at three hospitals in Fukushima Prefecture. Between December, 2013 and March, 2015, 2702 children between the ages of 0 and 11 have been scanned, and none had a detectable level of cesium-137.” (The anti-nuclear crowd had been obsessing about exposure to cesium-137.)

    babyscan fukushima full
    Extensive radiation study finds no internal cesium exposure in Fukushima children

    Positive reports like this rarely appear in our American press, which frustrates professionals like Leslie Corrice, a former nuclear power plant operator, environmental monitoring technician, health physics design engineer, public education coordinator and emergency planner who writes the informative and highly respected blog, The Hiroshima Syndrome.

    In Radiation: The No-Safe-Level Myth, Corrice writes,

    “As long as the LNT theory is maintained, our fear of radiation will continue to damage the psyche of all humanity, restrict the therapeutic and healing effects of non-lethal doses of radiation, limit the growth of green nuclear energy, and needlessly prolong the burning of fossil fuels to produce electricity.

    “In 1987, when I was frustrated because it seemed like the major news outlets bent over backwards to broadcast negative nuclear reports while seemingly ignoring anything positive, a former Press manager with a major news outlet in Cleveland took me aside and gave me the facts of life.

    “He first explained that the Press is a moneymaking venture. The ratings determine advertising income; the lifeblood of the business – and the surefire money-makers were war, presidential elections, natural disasters and airline crashes.

    …the surefire money-makers were war, presidential elections, natural disasters and airline crashes.

    Cleveland press manager

    “Turning to Three Mile Island, he said the ratings sky-rocketed and stayed that way for the better part of two weeks. In the years that followed, the media found that negative reports caused an increase in ratings, and positive stuff didn’t. This trend slowly dwindled, but Chernobyl re-ignited the ratings impact of nuclear accident reporting and proved that broadcasting the negative was better for business…

    “He added that the media might someday entirely ignore the positive and only report the negative in regard to nuclear energy, and he speculated that all it would take was one more accident. Unfortunately, he was right. Fukushima has pushed the world’s Press into the journalistic dark side. My Fukushima Updates blog has lashed the Japanese Press and the world’s news media outside Japan severely for primarily reporting the negative…. A recent example concerns the child care thyroid study in Fukushima Prefecture during the past four years.

    “On October 5, 2015, four PhDs in Japan alleged in the Tsuda Report that the Fukushima accident had spawned a thyroid cancer epidemic among the prefecture’s children, which contradicted the Fukushima Univ. Medical School, Japanese Research Center for Cancer Prevention and Screening, and National Cancer Center, which all found that the detected child thyroid precancerous anomalies in Fukushima Prefecture cannot be realistically linked to the accident. Regardless, the Tsuda Report’s claim made major headlines in Japan, then spread to mainstream outlets outside Japan, including UPI and AP.

    “Here’s the problem. In December 2013, a scientific report was published on a comparison of the rate of child thyroid, pre-cancerous anomalies in Fukushima Prefecture with the rates in three prefectures hundreds of kilometers distant: Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki.

    “The Fukushima University medical team studying the issue had discovered that there was no prior data on child thyroid cancer rates in Japan, so there was nothing to compare the 2012 results to.

    “Because of the furor caused by the original release of their findings in 2012, the team decided to take matters into their own hands and offer free testing to volunteer families in the distant prefectures. Nearly 5,000 parents took advantage of the opportunity and had their children screened.

    “What was found was completely unexpected. The abnormality rates in Aomori, Yamanashi and Nagasaki Prefectures were actually higher than that discovered in Fukushima Prefecture, which conclusively indicated that the radiation from the Fukushima accident had no negative impact on the health of the thyroid glands in Fukushima’s children. Just one Japanese Press outlet mentioned the 2013 discovery at the very end of an article about a few more children being found to have the anomalies in Fukushima….

    …no negative impact on the health of the thyroid glands in Fukushima’s children.

    Fukushima University

    “On the other hand, when a maverick team of four Japanese with PhDs publish a highly questionable report – full of so many holes that it should be tossed into the trash – alleging a severe cancer problem caused by the Fukushima accident, it gets major coverage inside Japan and significant coverage by the world’s mainstream press!

    “It is important to emphasize that the Tsuda Report fails to acknowledge the fact that Prefectures unaffected by the Fukushima accident had the higher anomaly rates. (Which is why the Tsuda Report is worthy of the trash heap.)

    “The media might not make money off sharing the good news about Fukushima, but they are committing a moral crime against humanity by not doing it.”

    Fukushima’s Children Aren’t Dying, New American, October 20, 2014

    Tritiated Water From Fukushima To Be Discharged Into Pacific, Andrew Karam, Ph.D., CHP, April 23, 2021

    fukushimas children arent dying
    Fukushima’s Children Aren’t Dying

    Coming up next week, Episode 12 – The Dismay of Radiophobia

    Links and References

    1. Next Episode – Episode 12 – The Dismay of Radiophobia
    2. Previous Episode – Episode 10 – Hormesis: How Radiation is Good for You
    3. Launching the Unintended Consequences Series
    4. Dr. George Erickson’s Website, Tundracub.com
    5. The full pdf version of Unintended Consequences
    6. https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/glossary/alara.html
    7. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/LNT+Has+Been+TNT+to+Humanity.-a0677253825
    8. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/05/04/cancer-and-death-by-radiation-not-from-fukushima/
    9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2663584/
    10. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Contamination_dropping_in_evacuation_zone_0706131.html
    11. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2014/mar/10/fukushima-children-play-indoors-earthquake-tsunami-nuclear-in-pictures
    12. https://www.ibtimes.com/new-fukushima-radiation-study-looks-ahead-future-cancer-risks-1557613
    13. https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-daiichi-accident.aspx
    14. https://www.drjaneorient.com/
    15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26460321/
    16. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/10/09/national/science-health/extensive-radiation-study-finds-no-internal-cesium-exposure-fukushima-children/
    17. https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-corrice-49a8b230/
    18. https://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/
    19. https://www.hiroshimasyndrome.com/radiation-the-no-safe-level-myth.html
    20. https://thenewamerican.com/fukushima-s-children-aren-t-dying/
    21. https://www.acsh.org/news/2021/04/23/tritiated-water-fukushima%C2%A0-be-discharged-pacific-15496

    #GeorgeErickson #UnintendedConsequences #Fukushima #ALARA #BABYSCAN

  • Episode 10 – Hormesis: How Radiation is Good for You – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 4 Part 2

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and the team at The Thorium Network

    Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski, MD PhD, DSc, former Chairman of the United Nationals Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCLEAR)
    Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski, UNCLEAR Chairman

    Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski, MD PhD, DSc, former Chairman of the United Nationals Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR):
    “What is really surprising, however, is that data collected by UNSCEAR and the Forum show 15% to 30% fewer cancer deaths among Chernobyl emergency workers and about 5% lower solid cancer incidences among the people on the Bryansk district (the most contaminated in Russia) in comparison with the general population. In most irradiated group of these people (mean dose of 40 mSv) the deficit of cancer incidence was 17%.”

    Because of their daily exposure to low levels of radiation, which seems to stimulate the DNA repair system, nuclear power plant workers get one third fewer cancers than other workers. They also lose fewer workdays to accidents than office workers.

    Knowing this, it is not surprising that, when steel containing cobalt-60 was used to build Taiwan apartments, which exposed 8,000 people to an additional 400 mSv of radiation during some twenty years, cancer incidence was sharply down, not up 30% as Linear No Threshold Theory would have predicted.Instead, the residents’ adaptive response to low- level radiation seems to have provided health benefits. The following chart reveals lower cancer rates for those who receive extra low-level radiation vs. those who only get background radiation.

    cell transformation
    Sometimes a low radiation exposure of 1-100 mGy, close to yearly background level, appears to act as the “tickle” dose, and reduces cancer rates. Redpath et al 2001
    heart beat and atom

    The USA de-funded low dose radiation studies that would have disproved No Threshold Theory.

    Dr. Doug Boreham, Norther Ontario School of Medicine – Radiation, space travel and hormesis

    In 2015, a study of bacteria grown at a dose rate 1/400 of normal background radiation yielded a reduction in growth, but when the cells were returned to normal background radiation levels, growth rates recovered. The conclusion: Insufficient radiation can yield harmful results.

    Life Needs (Some) Radiation – Deep in the Earth, a series of experiments is revealing how life suffers when it’s deprived of background levels of radiation.

    sun in blue
    Life Needs (Some) Radiation

    Therefore, it seems reasonable that radiation limits should be the same regardless of the source of the radiation. Nevertheless, nuclear plants are held to a standard 100 times higher than coal plants, which actually emit more radiation than nuclear power plants. Per unit of electricity created, the fly ash emitted by a coal power plant exposes the environment to 100 times more radiation than a nuclear plant’s on-site-stored spent fuel – it’s so-called “waste”, 90% of which can be consumed in modern reactors. (Granite buildings irradiate their occupants more than nuclear power plants.)

    In 2004, the Radiation Research Society published the Mortality Experience amongst U. S. Nuclear Workers after Chronic Low-Dose Exposure to Ionizing Radiation:

    “Workers employed in fifteen utilities that generate nuclear power in the U. S. have been followed for up to 18 years between 1979 and 1997.

    “Their cumulative dose from whole body radiation has been determined from records maintained by the facilities and by the Nuclear Regulatory Comm. and the Energy Department.

    “Mortality in the cohort … has been analyzed with respect to individual radiation doses. The cohort displays a very substantial healthy worker effect, i.e. considerably lower cancer and non-cancer mortality than the general population.”

    insanity of nlt
    World Nuclear Radiation Health Effects

    The largest circle (red) represents a radiotherapy tumour dose;

    The green circle is a recoverable dose to normal tissue near the tumour;

    The dark green circle is a dose with a 100% safety record.

    The tiny black dot in the smallest circle represents the limit recommended by current regulations due to LTN.

    radiation and health
    Radiation and Health by Hendrickson and Maillie

    In Radiation and Health, Hendrickson and Maillie wrote “…during radiation therapy for cancer, we’ve learned that chromosome damage to lymphocytes can be reduced by up to 50% if a small dose is given to the cells a few hours before the larger ‘cancer-killing’ dose is administered.”

    Kerala

    kerala location
    Where is Kerala!

    In the southwest Indian state of Kerala, children under five have the lowest mortality rate in the country, and life expectancy is 74 despite background radiation rates that can range as high as 30 times the global average.

    What can we learn from Kerala?

    For thousands of years, Keralites have lived with radiation three times the level that caused the evacuation at Fukushima, where the limit was, on July, 2016, just 20 mSv. In contrast, some sections of Kerala experience 70 mSv, with a few areas measuring 500 – and many Keralites also eat food that is five times as radioactive as food in the United States.

    kerala beach people
    Kerala Beach People Live Longer

    Despite these radiation levels, cancer incidence in Kerala is the same as the rate in greater India, which is about 1/2 that of Japan’s and less than a third of the rate in Australia. As the linked article says, “Cancer experts know a great deal about the drivers of these huge differences, and radiation isn’t on the list.”

    kerala beach
    Kerala Beach

    In Kerala, scientists have been working with a genuinely low rate of radiation exposure that mirrors what would have been the case in Fukushima if the Japanese officials hadn’t panicked and needlessly evacuated so many thousands of people.

    So, why did they? Partly from fear, but primarily because most radiation protection standards have been derived from LNT bias and studies of Japanese atomic bomb victims who received their dose in a very short time, and being bombed is very different from living for years with a slightly higher radiation level.

    Kerala also confirms our modern knowledge of DNA repair- namely that radiation damage is not cumulative at background dose rates up to 30 times normal, and that 70 mSv over a lifetime does nothing. In fact, the concepts of an “annual dose” or a “cumulative dose” are misleading. Instead, evidence reveals that an annual exposure to 100 mSv is comparable to a dose of zero because it doesn’t exceed a person’s capacity for repair.

    In the past, when experts discussed these issues they couldn’t consider delivery rates or DNA repair because the power and mechanisms of DNA repair were not known until long after Muller’s LNT theory became dogma. As a consequence, the suffering caused by this obsolete “science” has been immense. (UK radiation expert Malcolm Grimston has characterised the Fukushima evacuation as being “stark raving mad”).

    malcolm grimston
    Malcolm Grimston
    fukushima evacuation 11 march 2011
    Fukushima Evacuation 11 March 2011

    When the Japanese government lifted the evacuation orders because the radiation level had dropped to 20 mSv, 80 % of the residents refused to return because of their fear of radiation despite the fact that the most highly irradiated areas near the plant received only 1/5 of the lowest dose linked to a detectable increase in cancer. (At Guarapari beach in Brazil, residents often bury themselves in sand that yields 340 mSv without ill effect.)

    guarapari beaches
    Guarapari Beaches, Brazil

    We should be concerned about genuinely dangerous isotopes, but we shouldn’t waste energy and money cleaning up minor radioactivity that doesn’t do anything – but that is what we are doing.

    Despite our learning that our cells have amazing repair abilities, LNT advocates still create the radiophobia that caused the extreme evacuations at Fukushima and the flood of needless, fear-induced European abortions that followed Chernobyl. In my opinion, people who refuse to examine the evidence that negates this discredited illusion have abandoned their integrity.

    October, 2020. New U.S. Department of Energy research indicates that at low doses, biological reactions are often unrelated to those that occur at high levels. The influential Linear-No-Threshold model, which predicted that acute exposure damage can be extrapolated linearly to low dose exposures—was flawed. In fact, small amounts can have an adaptive positive effect. In addition, it appears that cells communicate with each other and a dose to one affects the cells around it.

    The LNT model for cancer induction is not supported by radiobiological data

    LOW DOSE RADIATION – The History of the U.S. Department of Energy Research Program

    As others have noted, not knowing the truth doesn’t make us ignorant, but not wanting to know the truth most certainly will.

    xm1SUw4DIIDN8FLR
    0.01 mrem = 0.0001 mSv, 500,000,000 Bananas deliver a lethal dose

    Comparison of Radiation Doses

    • 0.05 µGy – Sleeping next to someone
    • 0.09 µGy – Living within 30 miles of a nuclear power plant for a year
    • 0.1 µGy – Eating one banana
    • 0.3 µGy – Living within 50 miles of a coal power plant for a year
    • 10 µGy – Average daily dose received from natural background
    • 20 µGy – Chest X-ray
    • 40 µGy – A 5-hour airplane flight
    • 600 µGy – mammogram
    • 1 000 µGy – Dose limit for individual members of the public, total effective dose per annum
    • 3 650 µGy – Average yearly dose received from natural background
    • 5 800 µGy – Chest CT scan
    • 10 000 µGy – Average yearly dose received from natural background in Ramsar, Iran
    • 20 000 µGy – single full-body CT scan
    • 175 000 µGy – Annual dose from natural radiation on a monazite beach near Guarapari, Brazil.
    • 5 000 000 µGy – Dose that kills a human with a 50% risk within 30 days (LD50/30), if the dose is received over a very short duration.

    What is a Gray and what is a Sivert?



    Coming up next week, Episode 11 – Looking for Radiation

    Links and References

    1. Next Episode – Episode 11 – Looking for Radiation
    2. Previous Episode – Episode 9 – Our Natural DNA Repair Capabilities
    3. Launching the Unintended Consequences Series
    4. Dr. George Erickson’s Website, Tundracub.com
    5. The full pdf version of Unintended Consequences
    6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zbigniew_Jaworowski
    7. https://www.unscear.org/
    8. https://www.faculty.uci.edu/profile.cfm?faculty_id=2879
    9. http://www.falloutradiation.com/files/HPANSpresentation.pdf
    10. https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc4975094
    11. https://atomicinsights.com/low-dose-radiation-research-program-defunded-2011/
    12. https://www.academia.edu/4637793/Adaptive_Response_to_Low_Dose_Radiation
    13. https://www.ans.org/news/article-2875/national-academies-steers-lowdose-radiation-research-in-a-new-direction/
    14. https://www.mun.ca/biology/scarr/Radiation_definitions.html
    15. http://www.falloutradiation.com/files/HPANSpresentation.pdf
    16. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/life-without-radiation/
    17. https://www.osti.gov/biblio/15020740-analysis-mortality-experience-amongst-nuclear-power-industry-workers-after-chronic-low-dose-exposure-ionizing-radiation
    18. https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/radiation-and-health/nuclear-radiation-and-health-effects.aspx
    19. https://www.amazon.com/Radiation-Health-Thormod-Henriksen-ebook/dp/B08LGH82MS
    20. https://goo.gl/maps/6tC88EYMQNoPLyy9A
    21. https://bravenewclimate.com/2015/01/24/what-can-we-learn-from-kerala/
    22. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/mediaguide/index.asp?PeopleID=254
    23. https://wsupress.wsu.edu/product/low-dose-radiation/
    24. https://www.britannica.com/event/Fukushima-accident
    25. https://www.dedoimedo.com/physics/banana-radioactive.html
    26. https://www.nuclear-power.com/nuclear-engineering/radiation-protection/absorbed-dose/gray-unit-of-radiation-dose/
    27. https://www.nuclear-power.com/nuclear-engineering/radiation-protection/equivalent-dose/sievert-unit-of-equivalent-dose/sievert-gray-becquerel-conversion-calculation/

    #GeorgeErickson #UnintendedConsequences #MoltenSaltFissionEnergy #Thorium #MoltenSaltFissionTechnology #Hormesis #Russia #Chernobyl #Ukraine

  • The „Perfekte Technologie“ – a Bilingual Article

    Post created by Jeremiah Josey

    prussian german newspaper
    This article published 14 March 2022 by Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung, the Prussian General Newspaper. Copyright notice: applying fair use for educational purposes.

    Zeitung für Deutschland · Das Ostpreußenblatt · Pommersche Zeitung

    Newspaper for Germany · The Ostpreußenblatt · Pomeranian Newspaper

    Zeichnet für den Thorium-based Molten Salt Reactor-Liquid Fuel No. 1 verantwortlich: Das Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics

    Responsible for the Thorium-based Molten Salt Reactor-Liquid Fuel No. 1: The Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics

    chinas molten salt loop
    China’s molten salt loop experiment

    THORIUM-FLÜSSIGSALZREAKTOREN Kernreaktoren, in denen der Kernbrennstoff in Form geschmolzenen Salzes vorliegt, bieten eine Fülle von Vorteilen. In China wird in nächster Zukunft eine Versuchsanlage in Betrieb gehen

    THORIUM MOLTEN SALT REACTORS Nuclear reactors in which the nuclear fuel is in the form of molten salt offer a wealth of advantages. A test plant will go into operation in China in the near future.

    „Perfekte Technologie“

    Der Ausgangsstoff ist billig und weltweit vorhanden, nicht einmal Kühlwasser wird benötigt und der Müll wird weniger und verfällt viel schneller als herkömmlicher Atommüll: Die Thorium-Technologie steht für eine neue Qualität der Nutzung der Kernenergie

    Wolfgang Kaufmann, 23.01.2022

    “Perfect technology”

    The raw material is cheap and available worldwide, not even cooling water is needed and the waste is less and decays much faster than conventional nuclear waste: Thorium technology stands for a new quality of the use of nuclear energy

    Wolfgang Kaufmann 23.01.2022

    Im Hongshagang-Industriepark bei Wuwei in der zentralchinesischen Provinz Gansu wird in nächster Zukunft eine Versuchsanlage in Betrieb gehen, die das Potential besitzt, nicht nur die Energieerzeugung im Reich der Mitte, sondern in der ganzen Welt zu revolutionieren. Keine Kohlendioxidemissionen mehr infolge der Nutzung fossiler Brennstoffe, keine Landschaftsverschandelung durch Windräder, kein massenhafter Einsatz von Akkus aus umweltschädlicher Produktion, keine Stromausfälle bei Windstille und Bewölkung, aber auch kein Strahlungsrisiko aufgrund von Reaktorhavarien, alles das verspricht der innovative Thorium-based Molten Salt Reactor-Liquid Fuel No. 1 (TMSR-LF1) des Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, der für eine neue Qualität der Nutzung der Kernenergie steht und dieser quasi einen „grünen Anstrich“ geben soll.

    In the Hongshagang Industrial Park near Wuwei in the central Chinese province of Gansu, a pilot plant will go into operation in the near future, which has the potential to revolutionize energy production not only in the Middle Kingdom, but throughout the world. No more carbon dioxide emissions as a result of the use of fossil fuels, no more landscape degradation by wind turbines, no mass use of batteries from environmentally harmful production, no power outages in calm winds and clouds, but also no radiation risk due to reactor accidents, all this promises the innovative Thorium-based Molten Salt Reactor-Liquid Fuel No. 1 (TMSR-LF1) of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, which advocates a new quality of use of the Nuclear energy is in place and this should give it a kind of “green coat of paint”.

    molten salt fission energy machine schematic
    Molten Salt Fission Energy Schematic

    Die Funktionsweise des Thorium-Flüssigsalzreaktors TMSR-LF1 ist relativ einfach. Das schwach radioaktive Element Thorium wird in Flüssigsalz aufgelöst und mit Neutronen beschossen. Dadurch entsteht das Isotop Uran 233, dessen Spaltung große Wärmemengen freisetzt. Der Reaktor produziert also seinen Brennstoff selbst. Dieses Verfahren bringt letztlich sehr viel mehr Sicherheit als der Betrieb klassischer Kernreaktoren (siehe unten) und darüber hinaus auch noch eine Vielzahl weiterer Vorteile.

    The operation of the Thorium Molten Salt reactor TMSR-LF1 is relatively simple. The weakly radioactive element Thorium is dissolved in molten salt and bombarded with neutrons. This produces the isotope uranium 233, the fission of which releases large amounts of heat. So the reactor produces its own fuel. This process ultimately brings much more safety than the operation of classic nuclear reactors (see below) and also a variety of other advantages.

    Sechs Vorteile

    Six Benefits

    Zum Ersten werden nur äußerst geringe Mengen an Thorium 232 benötigt. Denn der Energiegehalt einer Tonne Thorium entspricht der von 200 Tonnen Uran-Metall oder 28 Millionen Tonnen Kohle, wie der italienische Physik-Nobelpreisträger Carlo Rubbia errechnete.

    First, only extremely small amounts of Thorium 232 are needed. The energy content of one ton of Thorium corresponds to that of 200 tons of uranium metal or 28 million tons of coal, as the Italian Nobel Laureate in Physics Carlo Rubbia calculated.

    u vs th page 1 of 3 1

    Zum Zweiten gibt es überall auf der Welt größere Thorium-Vorkommen. Im Prinzip kommt das Element in der Gesteinskruste ähnlich häufig vor wie Blei und fällt zudem als Abfallprodukt bei der Förderung von Seltenen Erden an. Deshalb ist es auch nicht teuer. Dahingegen drohen perspektivisch Verknappungen und Preisexplosionen beim Uran, weil die Zahl der konventionellen Kernkraftwerke neuerdings wieder deutlich zunimmt.

    Secondly, there are larger Thorium deposits all over the world. In principle, the element occurs in the rock crust as often as lead and is also produced as a waste product in the extraction of rare earths. That’s why it’s not expensive. On the other hand, there is a risk of shortages and price explosions for uranium in the future, because the number of conventional nuclear power plants has recently increased significantly again.

    u vs th page 2 of 3 1

    Zum Dritten kann ein Thorium-Flüssigsalzreaktor praktisch überall errichtet werden, also beispielsweise auch in Wüstenregionen. Denn er benötigt keinerlei Kühlwasser.

    Thirdly, a Thorium Molten Salt reactor can be built virtually anywhere, including desert regions, for example. Because it does not require any cooling water.

    pwr vs msr size

    Zum Vierten entstehen bei seinem Betrieb auch deutlich weniger radioaktive Abfälle. Außerdem sollen über 99 Prozent des Atommülls aus dem TMSR-LF1 nach spätestens 300 Jahren in harmlose Isotope zerfallen sein. Des Weiteren besteht die Möglichkeit, die geringen Restmengen an länger strahlendem Material später in fortgeschritteneren Flüssigsalzreaktoren zu verarbeiten und damit gänzlich zu neutralisieren. Zum Vergleich: In mit Uran betriebenen konventionellen Atommeilern fallen langlebige radioaktive Spaltprodukte mit Halbwertszeiten von vielen tausend Jahren an, obwohl nur ein kleiner Bruchteil des verwendeten Kernbrennstoffs genutzt wird.

    Fourthly, its operation also generates significantly less radioactive waste. In addition, more than 99 percent of the nuclear waste from the TMSR-LF1 is said to have decayed into harmless isotopes after 300 years at the latest. Furthermore, it is possible to process the small residual amounts of longer radiating material later in more advanced molten salt reactors and thus completely neutralise. By way of comparison, conventional nuclear reactors powered by uranium produce long-lived radioactive fission products with half-lives of many thousands of years, even though only a small fraction of the nuclear fuel used is used.

    u vs th page 3 of 3 1

    Zum Fünften liegen die Kosten für den Bau und Betrieb von Thorium-Flüssigsalzreaktoren niedriger als bei den sonst zumeist verwendeten Leichtwasser-Reaktoren. Das resultiert vor allen aus dem geringen Betriebsdruck der Anlagen, der zahlreiche Sicherheitsvorkehrungen überflüssig macht, sowie der Tatsache, dass keine Brennstäbe beschafft werden müssen.

    Fifthly, the costs for the construction and operation of Thorium Molten Salt reactors are lower than those of the light-water reactors that are usually used. This is mainly due to the low operating pressure of the systems, which makes numerous safety precautions superfluous, as well as the fact that no fuel rods have to be procured.

    rising costs of old nuclear

    Zum Sechsten lassen sich Reaktoren wie der TMSR-LF1 auch deshalb ausgesprochen wirtschaftlich betreiben, weil in ihnen nicht nur Uran 233 erbrütet wird, sondern zusätzlich noch viele andere radioaktive Spaltprodukte entstehen, die zum Beispiel in der Nuklearmedizin benötigt werden. Und manche der Radionuklide verwandeln sich sogar in ausgesprochen begehrte Elemente wie Rubidium, Zirconium, Molybdän, Ruthenium, Palladium, Neodym und Samarium. Desgleichen wird das Edelgas Xenon frei, das unter anderem als Isolationsmedium sowie in der Laser- und Raumfahrttechnik zum Einsatz kommt.

    Sixthly, reactors such as the TMSR-LF1 can also be operated extremely economically because not only uranium 233 is incubated in them, but also many other radioactive fission products are produced, which are required, for example, in nuclear medicine. And some of the radionuclides even turn into highly sought-after elements such as rubidium, zirconium, molybdenum, ruthenium, palladium, neodymium and samarium. Likewise, the noble gas xenon is released, which is used, among other things, as an insulation medium as well as in laser and aerospace technology.

    decay chains u th and pu

    Der Krieg ist aller Dinge Vater

    War is the father of all things

    Erfunden wurde die dem TMSR-LF1 zugrunde liegende Technologie nicht in China, sondern in den USA. Dort experimentierten die Luftstreitkräfte bereits ab 1954 mit einem kleinen Flüssigsalzreaktor, der zum Antrieb von Langstreckenbombern dienen sollte. Das Projekt fand jedoch ein rapides Ende, als die Vereinigten Staaten über Interkontinentalraketen verfügten. Ebenso legten bundesdeutsche Wissenschaftler aus der Kernforschungsanlage Jülich zu Beginn der 1970er Jahre einige Studien über Flüssigsalzreaktoren vor, die letztlich wegen der ablehnenden Haltung des damaligen Leiters der Reaktorentwicklung, Rudolf Schulten, keine Beachtung fanden.

    The technology underlying the TMSR-LF1 was not invented in China, but in the USA. As early as 1954, the Air Force experimented with a small molten salt reactor to power long-range bombers. However, the project came to a rapid end when the United States had intercontinental ballistic missiles. Likewise, at the beginning of the 1970s, West German scientists from the Jülich nuclear research facility presented some studies on molten salt reactors, which ultimately received no attention because of the negative attitude of the then head of reactor development, Rudolf Schulten [main developer of the pebble bed reactor design, a non fluid fuel system].

    core of aircraft reactor experiment 1954
    Core of Aircraft Reactor Experiment 1954
    htre 3
    Heat Transfer Reactor Experiment-3

    Ein weiterer Grund für die fehlende Akzeptanz des alternativen Reaktortyps war das absolute Desinteresse der Nu-klearindustrie rund um die Welt. Mit den klassischen Atommeilern ließ sich hervorragend Geld verdienen, und auf die Einnahmen aus der Herstellung von Brennstäben wollte auch niemand verzichten. Deshalb wurden allerlei vorgeschobene Argumente gegen den Einsatz von Flüssigsalzreaktoren ins Spiel gebracht, wie beispielsweise das angeblich höhere Korrosionsrisiko und die hypothetische Gefahr, dass jemand die Meiler missbraucht, um waffenfähiges Spaltmaterial zu produzieren.

    Another reason for the lack of acceptance of the alternative reactor type was the absolute lack of interest of the nuclear industry around the world. With the classic nuclear reactors, excellent money could be earned, and no one wanted to do without the income from the production of fuel rods. Therefore, all sorts of pretended arguments against the use of molten salt reactors were brought into play, such as the allegedly higher risk of corrosion and the hypothetical danger that someone will misuse the reactors to produce weapons-grade fissile material.

    Dies hat die Volksrepublik China nicht davon abgehalten, seit 2011 umgerechnet 400 Millionen Euro in die Entwicklung des TMSR-LF1 zu investieren. Schließlich verfolgt die Pekinger Führung das ehrgeizige Ziel, das Reich der Mitte bis 2050 „klimaneutral“ zu machen, und dabei könnte sich die „perfekte Technologie“ der Flüssigsalzreaktoren als absolut unverzichtbar erweisen.

    This has not prevented the People’s Republic of China from investing the equivalent of 400 million euros in the development of the TMSR-LF1 since 2011. After all, Beijing’s leaders are pursuing the ambitious goal of making the Middle Kingdom “climate neutral” by 2050, and the “perfect technology” of molten salt reactors could prove absolutely indispensable.

    full thorium molten salt energy machine 1
    250 MW Molten Salt Fission Energy Power Facility

    Der Reaktor, der nun am Rande der Wüste Gobi erprobt werden soll, hat erst einmal nur eine Nennleistung von zwei Megawatt. Damit kann er lediglich um die 1000 Haushalte mit Strom versorgen. Sollte sich das Konstruktionsprinzip des TMSR-LF1 bewähren, dann würde allerdings bis etwa 2030 der erste Prototyp eines Thorium-Flüssigsalzreaktors mit 373 Megawatt Leistung in Betrieb gehen, dem dann in schneller Folge identische Anlagen in ganz China folgen. Ob Deutschland zu diesem Zeitpunkt immer noch in seiner Atomkraft-Abstinenz verharrt oder inzwischen auch auf die „Grüne Kernenergie“ setzt, bleibt abzuwarten.

    The reactor, which is now to be tested on the edge of the Gobi Desert, initially has a nominal output of only two megawatts. This means that it can only supply around 1000 households with electricity. If the design principle of the TMSR-LF1 proves successful, however, the first prototype of a Thorium Molten Salt reactor with an output of 373 megawatts would go into operation by around 2030, which will then be followed by identical plants throughout China in rapid succession. It remains to be seen whether Germany will still remain in its abstinence from nuclear power at this time or whether it will now also rely on “green nuclear energy”.

    chinese gobi desert molten salt industrial facility
    Chinese Gobi Desert Molten Salt Industrial Facility
    gobi desert installation
    Gobi Desert Molten Salt Installation
    Dr. Mark Ho of ANSTO 12 May 2021 Molten Salt ReviewDownload
    China SINAP TMSR Progress Yang Zou Netherlands 5 July 2019Download
    China SINAP TMSR Progress Hongjie Xu Shanghai 27 Sept 2018Download
    China SINAP TMSR Progress Hongjie Xu Switzerland 24 Jan 2017Download
    China SINAP TMSR Progress Hongjie Xu ORNL 5 Oct 2016Download
    China SINAP TMSR Progress Hongjie Xu CAS 27 Oct 2015Download
    China SINAP TMSR Progress Hongjie Xu ORNL 15 Oct 2015Download

    Über die Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung

    About the Prussian General Newspaper

    Die Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung (PAZ) ist eine einzigartige Stimme in der deutschen Medienlandschaft. Woche für Woche berichtet sie über das aktuelle Zeitgeschehen in Politik, Kultur und Wirtschaft und bezieht zu den grundlegenden Entwicklungen unserer Gesellschaft Stellung. In ihrer Arbeit fühlt sich die Redaktion dem traditionellen preußischen Wertekanon verpflichtet: Das alte Preußen stand und steht für religiöse und weltanschauliche Toleranz, für Heimatliebe und Weltoffenheit, für Rechtstaatlichkeit und intellektuelle Redlichkeit sowie nicht zuletzt für ein von der Vernunft geleitetes Handeln in allen Bereichen der Gesellschaft. In diesem Sinne pflegt die PAZ eine offene Debattenkultur, die gleichermaßen den eigenen Standpunkt mit Leidenschaft vertritt wie sie die Meinung von Andersdenkenden achtet – und diese auch zu Wort kommen lässt. Jenseits des Tagesgeschehens fühlt sich die PAZ der Erinnerung an das historische Preußen und der Pflege seines kulturellen Erbes verpflichtet. Mit diesen Grundsätzen ist die Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung eine einzigartige publizistische Brücke zwischen dem Gestern, Heute und Morgen, zwischen den Ländern und Regionen in West und Ost – sowie zwischen den verschiedenen gesellschaftlichen Strömungen in unserem Lande.

    The Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung (PAZ) is a unique voice in the German media landscape. Week after week, it reports on current events in politics, culture and business and takes a stand on the fundamental developments in our society. In their work, the editors feel committed to the traditional Prussian canon of values: The old Prussia stood and stands for religious and ideological tolerance, for love of homeland and open-mindedness, for the rule of law and intellectual honesty, and not least for reason-guided action in all areas of society . With this in mind, the PAZ maintains an open culture of debate, which passionately represents its own point of view and respects the opinions of those who think differently – and also lets them have their say. Beyond day-to-day events, the PAZ feels committed to remembering historical Prussia and caring for its cultural heritage. With these principles, the Preußische Allgemeine Zeitung is a unique journalistic bridge between yesterday, today and tomorrow, between the countries and regions in West and East – as well as between the different social currents in our country.

    Translation courtesy of Duck Duck Go – Your personal data is nobody’s business.

    Like the article? Give payments directly to PAZ here, Anerkennungszahlung

    Support us to make more bilingual offerings like this via our Patreon.

    References and Links

    1. Original article: https://paz.de/artikel/perfekte-technologie-a6180.html
    2. https://paz.de/impressum.html
    3. https://english.sinap.cas.cn/
    4. https://www.ans.org/news/article-3091/china-moves-closer-to-completion-of-worlds-first-thorium-reactor/
    5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium
    6. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forschungszentrum_J%C3%BClich
    7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Schulten
    8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_bed_reactor
    9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Reactor_Experiment
    10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion
    11. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/12/china-spending-us3-3-billion-on-molten-salt-nuclear-reactors-for-faster-aircraft-carriers-and-in-flying-drones.html
    12. https://regulatorwatch.com/reported_elsewhere/china-spending-us3-3-billion-on-molten-salt-nuclear-reactors-for-faster-aircraft-carriers-and-in-flying-drones/
    13. https://www.nuclearaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Mark_Ho_20210512.pdf
    14. http://samofar.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019-TMSR-SAMOFAR%E2%80%94%E2%80%94Yang-ZOU-PDF-version-1.pdf
    15. https://threeconsulting.com/mt-content/uploads/2021/04/chinatmsr2018.pdf
    https://www.gen-4.org/gif/upload/docs/application/pdf/2017-05/03_hongjie_xu_china.pdf
    16. https://msrworkshop.ornl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MSR2016-day1-15-Hongjie-Xu-Update-on-SINAP-TMSR-Research.pdf
    17. https://tcw15.mit.edu/sites/default/files/documents/TMSRstatus-liuwei.pdf
    18. https://paz.de/anerkennungszahlung.html
    19. https://www.patreon.com/TheThoriumNetwork
    20. https://help.duckduckgo.com/results/translation/

    #PreußischeAllgemeineZeitung #PAZ #ShanghaiInstituteofAppliedPhysics #SINAP #ThoriumMoltenSalt #MoltenSaltFissionEnergyTechnology #MSFET #Thorium

  • Interview #2, Mr. Emre Kiraç of Kiraç Group. Part of the Student Guild Interview Series, “Leading to Nuclear”

    Interview #2, Mr. Emre Kiraç of Kiraç Group. Part of the Student Guild Interview Series, “Leading to Nuclear”

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and Rana, president of the Student Guild

    emre kirac
    Emre Kiraç

    Under favour of The Thorium Network, I met a successful and farsighted person. The person who caught my attention with his works and ideas in various fields is Emre Kıraç, CEO of Kıraç Group. If we talk about him briefly, Mr. Emre received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Istanbul Technical University. After completing his master’s degree in Entrepreneurial Management at London EBS (European Business School), he still works as the general manager of Kıraç Group companies operating in the fields of energy, transportation and health. If I were to talk about Mr. Emre for myself, I can say that he is open to new ideas and a model to young entrepreneurs with his success in many sectors he has entered. As a nuclear engineer, the thing that draws my attention the most is his innovative views, support and work in the field of energy. The reason why I say so is that, as we know, the need for energy is increasing day by day due to the increasing population and other factors. There are many different methods to supply with the energy need. One of them is nuclear energy. We see that Mr. Emre closely follows and supports the developments in the nuclear field.

    Without further ado, you can see what we asked in our interview. Good reading!

    Rana,
    President of the Student Guild
    The Thorium Network

    kirac group logo ana
    https://kiracgroup.com/en
    Leading to Nuclear Interview Series, Interview #2, Engineer Emre Kiraç of Kiraç Group, Turkey

    Can you tell us about the development of Kıraç Group? Since 1982, your company has continued to grow. What is your biggest source of motivation?

    Our company’s history and the fact that we have earned people’s confidence in the workplace. Moreover, one of our major sources of motivation is to ensure and improve the continuation of our businesses. 

    In which areas and specifically on which subjects does Kıraç Group focus on R&D studies?

    In particular, we have four companies engaged in R&D work. These companies develop their own products. Kıraç Metal is working on solar energy systems, Kıraç Galvaniz is working on highway protection systems, Kıraç Bilişim is working on hospital automation, and Kıraç HTS is working on aviation.

    You’ve worked in the energy business for a long time and have a lot of experience in it. I’d want to hear your own thoughts on nuclear energy and reactors.

    Nuclear energy, in my opinion as an electrical engineer, is a healthy and safe source of energy. Of course, if it’s done correctly. There have unfortunately been awful examples of this in the past. Unfortunately, many associate nuclear energy with nuclear weapons, and as a result, they are biased towards this sort of energy. But, with smart design and hard effort, I’m confident that many people will see nuclear power as clean and safe.

    As Kıraç Group, you give importance to green energy. You have studies and activities on solar energy and wind energy. The world also needs nuclear energy and we cannot stop climate change with wind and solar energy alone. What do you think about Turkey’s adventure in the field of nuclear energy? What changes will happen after that?

    As we know, Akkuyu nuclear power plant installation has started. Of course, our country does not have any nuclear technology. In fact, nuclear technology is a technology that has been on the world agenda since the 1940s. Although Turkey has technology in many fields, unfortunately it has not had any technology in the nuclear field. Therefore, our country should develop itself in the global conjuncture.

    Do you find Turkey’s studies on renewable energy sufficient? What do you think should be done more?

    The main country that creates the economy of renewable energy is Germany. In this sector, we continue our work in Germany. Although this country is less efficient in terms of solar energy compared to other countries, it has many more solar power plants. In Turkey, on the other hand, solar power plants will definitely become more widespread. We are also in this business. Turkey is a complete renewable energy country in terms of both wind and solar energy. We also closely follow the hydrogen-based energy technology. Renewable energy should become more widespread in our country. Our country is very clear in this regard. The important thing is to increase the incentives of the state to this sector.

    What are your thoughts on molten salt reactors? Can a molten salt reactor be established in Turkey after the VVER 1200 (PWR) to be established in Akkuyu and can it be produced entirely with national resources?

    I got detailed information on this subject. The implementation of this technology would be incredibly good for Turkey. Since Turkey is rich in thorium reserves, this technology carries our country much further in the nuclear field. But for this technology to be applicable, R&D studies are needed. I think this will be possible with the efforts of our state and universities.

    Can you tell us about your cooperation with Thorium Network? What prompted you to make this collaboration? What was the most influential factor for you?

    First of all, since we are in the energy sector, Thorium Network attracted our attention. We have an old friendship with Mr. Jeremiah. I am interested in Jeremiah’s blogs and I follow them. After he came to Turkey, I had the opportunity to get to know him better. In addition to these, I feel responsible for this issue as Eskişehir has thorium deposits. I want to promote and develop Thorium Network in this environment. This is my biggest goal right now.

    What kind of work can be done to spread the idea of nuclear energy in Turkey?

    We need to lobby on this issue. People like you and us need to understand this technology very well and explain it to other people. We are just at the beginning of the road. Firstly, the Molten Salt Reactor technology needs to be developed. The more R&D studies we do on this subject, the more positive returns will be.

    Turkey wants to design and install a molten salt reactor with completely domestic and national resources. Especially the Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Institute (TENMAK) is very enthusiastic about this issue. Do you think TENMAK and universities alone will be enough for R&D studies or do we need other organizations?

    We need an international communication on this issue. There may also be a need for the private sector, but we do not have many companies that have worked in the nuclear field. Together we can research and develop. Apart from these, it is important for the state to support, technical and commercial reports should be prepared and funds should be allocated. Then an international partner can be found and brought to better places.

    When I examined your company, the years you entered new sectors caught my attention. You identify the needs very clearly and produce solutions in the most effective way. What do you pay attention to when entering a new industry? In your opinion, if the first molten salt reactor were to be successfully established in our country, where would Kıraç Group be in this process? (Part production, liquid fuel production, construction, electricity etc.)

    The nuclear industry is a very large and complex field. We have thousands of products, of course, we can meet some of them in the future. But it’s too early to talk about that. We will cooperate with Thorium Network on this issue. There is also a large thorium reserve and precious metals in Eskişehir. These mines are currently being sold. It would be much better if we were in a position to add value to these mines. We continue our research on this subject.

    We had a great time during the interview. We’d like to show our thanks to Mr. Emre for the information he gave and for his participation. 

    You may also stay updated on developments by visiting our website and joining our student guild.

    Thorium Network Student Guild continues to inspire people all around the world. Come and join our team! You can find the Student Guild application on this page:

    The Student Guild of The Thorium Network

    1. Emre Kirac on LinkedIn
    2. Rana on LinkedIn
    3. The interview on YouTube
    4. Kirac Group
    5. Interview #1 Akira Tokuhiro, “Leading to Nuclear”
    6. Launching “Leading to Nuclear, Interviews by the Thorium Network Student Guild”
    7. The Student Guild

    #StudentGuild #LeadingToNuclear #Interview #EmreKirac #KiracGroup

  • Episode 8 – More Beer, More Bananas – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 3 Part 2

    Episode 8 – More Beer, More Bananas – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 3 Part 2

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and the team at The Thorium Network

    All radioactive elements “decay” by emitting [either] an alpha particle (a helium nucleus), a beta particle (an electron) or a gamma ray (pure energy), eventually becoming stable elements.  An element’s “half-life” is the time needed for ½ of the atoms in the “parent” element to decay into a “daughter” isotope. For the Potassium-40 in our bananas and bodies, it is 1.2 billion years. For the Americium-241 in our smoke detectors, it’s 432 years, and for Iodine-131, it’s 8 days.  

    Contrary to popular belief, elements with long half-lives, which decay slowly, present less risk than those with short half lives. 

    [The half life of Thorium is 14.05 billion years – about the age of our universe]

    Radioactivity is measured by the number of decays per second. One decay per second is one Becquerel (Bq). One banana produces about 15 Becquerels from its potassium-40, and smoke detectors emit 30,000 Becquerels, so when nuclear power critics fuss about 64,000 Becquerels entering the ocean at Fukushima, remember that 64,000 Becquerels is equal to 14 seconds of potassium radiation activity that occurs inside our bodies every day. (The radioactivity of normal seawater is 14,000 Becquerels per cubic meter). 

    However, focusing on Becquerels without considering the  energy absorbed by the body is pointless: You can throw a bullet or you can shoot one, but only one will cause harm. 

    Fortunately, radiation is easy to detect. A single  emission (1 Becquerel) will trigger a click in any decent detector, and an average adult emits 7,000 Becquerels, of which 4,400 Becquerels come from our Potassium-40, which “clicks” 4,400 times per second, for life.  

    tim maloney

    “The word ‘radioactivity’ doesn’t account for the energy propelling the emissions, so quoting large Becquerel counts  says nothing about risk. However, big numbers can frighten uninformed people, and in building their case against nuclear power, many environmentalists have been doing just that.” Dr. Timothy Maloney

    radium eau vichy
    Radioactivity in Food

    As noted earlier, radiation dose, which we measure  in Sieverts, is the biologically effective energy transferred by radiation to tissue. For example, one mammogram equals 1 to 2 milliSieverts (mSv), and one dental X-ray (0.001 mSv) is nowhere near enough to cause concern. 

    Let’s now consider the normal background radiation that accompanies us throughout our years. 

    natural background radiation europe 2
    Worldwide Natural Radiation Ranges from 1 to 250 mSv per year

    Natural “background” radiation dose rates vary widely,  averaging 1 mSv/year in Britain, 3 in the US, 7 in Finland, 10  in Spain, 12 in Denver and up to 300 mSv per year in Kerala, India and even  higher on a number of “radioactive” beaches around the world  that people flock to for health reasons. Given these statistics, one might expect cancer rates in Finland and Spain to be higher than in Britain, but Britain has higher rates of cancer than both Spain and Finland despite LNT dogma [See Episode 6 where we expose the Linear No Threshold lie].

     Dose Rates and Health 

    hiroshime mushroom cloud 1945
    Hiroshima, 1945

    A massive, single, whole-body radiation dose, as at Hiroshima and Nagasaki [1945 United States of America bombings of Japan], severely damages blood cell production and the digestive and nervous systems. 

    A single 5,000 mSv dose is usually fatal, but if it is spread over a lifetime it is harmless because at low dose  rates, damaged cells are repaired or replaced. (Consume a  cup of salt in one sitting, and you will probably die, but do it  over six months or more, and it won’t be a problem.) 

    radiation dose in perspective 1
    Radiation in Perspective (1 mrem = 0.01 mSV)

    How Much Radiation Is Too Much? Regulators have set exposure limits far too low, inspiring irrational fear of a cheap, clean energy source. By Robert Hargraves Sept. 21, 2021

    Why Radiation is Safe below 100 mSv per year

    In 1945, the U. S. exploded two atomic bombs over Japan, killing 200,000 people. Since then, 93,000 survivors have been studied for health effects. In 55 years, 10,423 of  those survivors died from cancer, which is just 573 (5%) more than the number of deaths expected by comparison with  unexposed residents.

    shizuyo sutou
    bombing of hiroshima and nagasaki
    05 Oct 1945, Nagasaki, Japan – A Japanese citizen walks through the damaged lands of Nagasaki, two months after the atomic bomb was dropped over the city. – Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS

    According to Dr. Shizuyo Sutou, expert in mutations, Shujitsu University, Japan, ”Ionizing radiation is not always hazardous, and low dose radiation sometimes stimulates our beneficial defence mechanisms.”  Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivor data since 1945 shows that, on average, lifespan was extended and cancer mortality was  reduced.

    Low Dose Radiation from A-bombs elongated Life span and reduced cancer mortality relative to un-irradiated individuals – Dr. Shizuyo Sutou

    In addition, no excess cancer deaths have been observed in those who received radiation doses below 100 mSv. In fact, Japanese A-bomb survivors who received less than 100 mSv, have been outliving their unexposed peers. 

    Subsequent studies by the United Nations Scientific  Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) have proved that below 100mSv, which is well above normal background radiation levels, it is not possible to find any  cancer excesses. 

    …it is not possible to find any cancer excesses.

    UNSCEAR

    Linear No-threshold (LNT) vs. Hormesis: Paradigms, Assumptions, and Mathematical Conventions that Bias the Conclusions in Favor of LNT and Against hormesis

    [You can see the rubbish perpetuated by the ICRP dose limits here and here. These fictitious, made-up numbers cause the deaths of millions of people each year and hobble the advancement of our civilisation – all for maintaining the oil industry’s profits.]

    – TRUTH –

    We are surrounded by naturally occurring radiation. Less than 1/1000th of the average American’s dose comes from nuclear power.

    aeroflot airbus passenger aircraft

    This yearly dose is 200 times less than a cross country flight…

    …is 13 times less than a glass of beer…

    beer glasses
    ripe bananas at market

    … and about the same as eating one banana(21).

    Are we really doing our best when it comes to managing radiation safety?

    Coming up next week, Episode 9 – Our Natural DNA Repair Capabilities

    Links and References

    1. Next Episode – Episode 9 – Our Natural DNA Repair Capabilities 
    2. Previous Episode – Episode 7 – Beer and Bananas
    3. Launching the Unintended Consequences Series
    4. Dr. George Erickson’s Website, Tundracub.com
    5. The full pdf version of Unintended Consequences
    6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium
    7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Becquerel
    8. https://www.timothymaloney.net/Critique_of_100_WWS_Plan.html
    9. https://www.roadmaptonowhere.com/about-us/
    10. https://www.radioactivity.eu.com/site/pages/Radioactivity_food.htm
    11. Ramsar, Iran natural radiation levels
    12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki
    13. https://stmuscholars.org/the-weapon-that-changed-war-u-s-bombings-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/
    14. https://www.wsj.com/articles/nuclear-regulatory-council-nrc-energy-regulator-radiation-climate-change-11632257020
    15. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shizuyo-Sutou
    16. https://radiationeffects.org/low-dose-radiation-from-a-bombs-elongated-life-span-and-reduced-cancer-mortality-relative-to-un-irradiated-individuals-sutou/
    17. https://www.unscear.org/
    18. https://journals.lww.com/health-physics/Abstract/2019/06000/Linear_No_threshold__LNT__vs__Hormesis__Paradigms,.7.aspx
    19. https://www.icrp.org/
    20. http://icrpaedia.org/Dose_limits
    21. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML0816/ML081690717.pdf
    22. American Nuclear Society
    23. Handbook of Radiation Measurement and Protection, edited by A. Brodsky

    #GeorgeErickson #UnintendedConsequences #MoltenSaltFissionEnergy #Thorium #MoltenSaltFissionTechnology #LinearNoThreshold

  • Interview #1, Prof. Akira Tokuhiro of Ontario Tech University. Part of the Student Guild Interview Series, “Leading to Nuclear”

    Interview #1, Prof. Akira Tokuhiro of Ontario Tech University. Part of the Student Guild Interview Series, “Leading to Nuclear”

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and Rana, president of the Student Guild

    unnamed
    Professor Akira Tokuhiro

    World’s first reactor was built in 1942 in Chicago by Enrico Fermi and his team. Since then several hundred nuclear reactors were built, shut downed and rebuilt. For the future, six types of Generation 4 fission machines wait to be born. The world needs the energy to develop and maintain life but above all these reasons there is an essential one: going to Mars and supplying all energy that is needed for life. That’s my priority motivation and purpose for choosing the nuclear area to work. History tells us that “never forget to take lessons from past” and future tells us that “enlighten your ways from your mistakes”. The nuclear accidents that happened in the past led us to Gen 4 designs. As students, we are the ones who determine the nuclear reactor’s destiny. One of the Gen 4 designs is Molten Salt Reactor. We are trying to understand what can we do to design and build a molten salt reactor. We do this by interviewing nuclear experts, engineers all over the world. Come and join our story!

    chicargo pile 1 1942
    Stagg Field, Chicago Pile 1
    fermi and cp1
    enrico fermi
    Enrico Fermi
    molten salt fission
    Molten Salt Fission Energy Technology

    The Student Guild’s first interview was with Professor Akira Tokuhiro. He recently stepped down as the Dean of the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science at Ontario Tech University in Canada. Also, he was in the American Nuclear Society’s President’s Committee on the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan. He is an international nuclear energy expert.

    Rana
    President of the Student Guild
    The Thorium Network

    Interview 001, Prof Akira Tokuhiro of Ontario Tech University – Leading to Nuclear Interview Series

    What does nuclear energy expert do?

    We do many things. We design Generation 4 (IV) systems. We look at the safety issues of current reactors and reactors that will be constructed. We are always looking for continuous safety improvements. We have 4 questions to be answered about safety and accidents, “what can happen, how often can it happen, how does it happen and what are the consequences?”. We ask these questions and we do the engineering design, safety analysis for that. Now nuclear engineering requires computer programming and engineering analysis. Applications of virtual reality, augmented reality, new applications of artificial intelligence, and machine learning will be used by new nuclear engineers to design and operate reactors.

    In one of your interviews, you said “Nuclear reactors are challenging, that’s why I choose the nuclear energy area to work”. What is the most complex and challenging thing in the nuclear area or reactor physics?

    For me, the most interesting and challenging thing is you have to know many things. You may find the solution for a small area but nuclear power plant is many different things. If you find a solution for a small area, it may impact other things. That’s why you have to look at many different things and you have to integrate them. That’s challenging for me. That integration that I teach to my students. How do you design a reactor? You design from the reactor core and then outward from the core.

    What are the most common safety design features for Gen 4 that at the same time can be used for Gen 3 or Gen 2 reactor safety designs?

    We have learned from Generation 2, 3 and 3+ about human factors engineering. There are two things about human beings, one is human beings are unreliable, other is unpredictable. When you apply these to safety systems, you want to design the reactor that minimizes probability for human error. Gen 4 and small modular reactors are designed so that cooling is assured, and do not rely on human operators because they can make mistakes under pressure. You have to design the reactor so that after shutdown decay heat can be removed without human intervention.

    What is the biggest problem about safety that must be redesigned immediately now? For example, for PWR Generation 2 designs, what is the biggest safety problem about that reactor, and how can it be redesigned?

    My opinion is reactor is designed so that it can shut down when a postulated event occurs. Even if an earthquake happens, the reactor can shut down like the reactors are located at Fukushima. The reactor was shut down after the earthquake. To remove the decay heat that’s remaining, pumps may be required to facilitate cooling for the first 72 hours. After two weeks the decay heat has to be much less. That has to change in all plants. Cooling after shut down is possible, we can do that but we have to make sure that even if we have a terrible earthquake, sufficient cooling has to remove thermal energy from the core. In SMR’s we don’t need pumps, like large reactors; when you have a pump, you also need a source of water in order to maintain cooling to take the heat. The safety problem of Gen 2 and Gen 3 designs is to prevent the meltdown of the core.

    “By 2030 or 2035 Gen 4 large reactors or small modular reactors will be built by Russia or China.”

    When do you think the first Gen 4 reactor will be built and where will it be built and which design will be built?

    I think by 2030 or 2035 some Gen 4 reactors will be built. It may be Gen 4 large reactors but it is also possible that small modular reactor may be built too. It depends on the country. Russia and China have their designs and they are being constructed. It is difficult to call them Gen 4 but recent VVER is an improved design. China is building different kinds of reactors and operating them. So by 2030 or 2035 Gen 4 large reactors or small modular reactors will be built by Russia or China. In the west, new reactors very much depends on investment. For example, in North America before 2035 there will be a small modular reactor constructed and ready to operate as well.

    What are your thoughts about thorium molten salt reactors?

    Thorium Molten Salt reactors combine interesting reactor design with a fresh look at a new type of fuel. In the least next 3-5 years, we need much more engineering to finish the design and to get the regulatory approval of the completed design. Since my background is from the US, I am familiar with US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and they will importantly ask safety questions about design basis accidents. If you don’t have a pump, as part of the design natural convection cools the reactor so it may be a preferred design. Molten salt reactors are an interesting design and thorium is a different type of fuel. Perhaps by analogy, the nuclear industry is very similar to a restaurant or the automotive sector. You have to have customers and people come to eat at a restaurant. You have to make a popular automobile and people have to trust the safety and they are buying the safety in design that comes with it. Thorium Molten Salt design has to be finished and the design has to convince the regulator that it is a sufficiently safe design and that is constructed.

    You are an expert on nuclear safety. Do you think passive safety systems designed for molten salt reactors are sufficient? Are there any other passive systems projects running? Can you please give us the details?

    The molten salt reactor concept came from the 1950s and 1960s. Modernized design of the MSR started with Oak Ridge Molten Salt Reactor. (MSRE) They operated a research and demonstration reactor for a few years so fifty years later we are updating this design. I think the concept is solid but needs details; safety cases are convincing. If you have the money and engineers the first step to building a reactor is making a research and demonstration reactor to show that the reactor is very safe. For example, in molten salt reactors, fuel flows in a tank by gravity when an unanticipated event occurs. That is when a PS may be needed. So this means no operator, no human error.

    “We need more nuclear power plants because we need a quick transition to a lower CO2 economy or scale.”

    About thorium molten salt reactors, what can students do?

    Now in the last five years, I think it is very important for students to find friends all over the world and to be interested in solving the challenges posed by climate change. We need to reach net-zero as quickly as possible: even before 2050. I think we have to make progress every five years or it will become very difficult to meet our net-zero carbon economy. We have to make as much progress by 2030. By 2050 we have to make substantial progress or net-zero carbon economy. If we don’t have any progress by 2030 reaching a net-zero carbon economy becomes increasingly difficult. Now we have the power of social media. Students have to ask many questions to old people like me about safety, design. We have to change and seek from the regulator, approval of the new reactors designs. We have a lot of experts from many countries. We already have about 440 nuclear power plants in the world but we need as many as ten times as many reactors to tackle climate change. We need more nuclear power plants because we need a quick transition to a lower CO2 economy or scale. It is not the ultimate solution for climate change but it is a solution that we have now. Young people can become involved through social media and by asking good questions. We need to convince people that by combining nuclear energy, wind, and solar we can reach a net-zero carbon economy. We need nuclear power, it may be risky, but risk and fear are a spectrum. If you think the benefit is greater than the risk then you would do it. People are usually afraid when they don’t understand the risk so they think the risk is very big and the benefit is not so big.

    How did you decide to join the Thorium Network? What was the most attractive thing that impressed you about Thorium Network?

    I contacted one of the founders Jeremiah Josey. I thought the thorium molten salt reactor is interesting and thorium is an alternative to uranium. It is a network. This network includes many people all around the world. That’s why I joined. The network is a new way to design a reactor.

    I had a great time while talking with Professor Tokuhiro. I would like to thank him for his time and perfect answers.

    Thorium Network Student Guild continues to inspire people all around the world. Come and join our team! You can find the Student Guild application on this page:

    The Student Guild of The Thorium Network

    1. Professor Akira Tokuhio on LinkedIn
    2. Rana on Linkedin
    3. The interview on YouTube
    4. Ontario Technical University
    5. Generation IV Fission Technology
    6. Chicago Pile 1
    7. ANS Committee Report: Fukushima Diiachi
    8. Launching “Leading to Nuclear, Interviews by the Thorium Network Student Guild”
    9. The Thorium Student Guild

    #ThoriumStudentGuild #LeadingToNuclear #Interview #AkiraTokuhiro #OTU

  • Launching the Student Guild Interview Series, “Leading to Nuclear”

    Launching the Student Guild Interview Series, “Leading to Nuclear”

    Created by Jeremiah Josey and Rana, president of the Student Guild

    shutterstock 1484419673

    We live in a finite world. Our world has a limited time until its end. There are 7.753 billion people who are trying to survive every day out there. Climate change is real and our world continues to warm. If we don’t do something about climate change, we will never live in the same world that we used to live in. Our lives might change completely. We are responsible for all the actions that we have done to the world and nature. So it is time to correct our mistakes and take the action! 

    Bill Gates

    “Nuclear energy, in terms of an overall safety record, is better than other energy.” 

    Bill Gates

    We all know that wind and solar are not enough to stop climate change. We need a combination of nuclear, solar, and wind because nuclear energy has zero carbon emissions. That’s what we need! Do your research, ask what you want to ask at the end of the day you will see that nuclear is the only answer. Now we have an even better option which is Molten Salt Fission Energy Technology. It is safe, reachable but needs committed research and development programs worldwide. We need to convince the world that now nuclear power is safer than ever.

    129643

    Students have the power of changing minds, creating new ideas, and supporting each other. At this point we are going to do all the things that we can do since still we have time. We are going to interview nuclear engineers, nuclear energy experts, and people who are interested in nuclear power to learn how we can reach a net-zero carbon economy with nuclear power. Also, we are going to learn how Molten Salt Fission Energy Technology can be accepted by regulators and what can we do about Thorium-based fuel. We are going to publish blogs about every interview. We interview people as much as we can. This way we will create a new era about Molten Salt Fission Energy Technology and Thorium fuel. It is a long journey but hopefully, at the end of it, we will have smiles on our faces with champagnes in our hands. 

    Our first interview is with Professor Akira Tokuhiro of Canada. He recently stepped down as the Dean of the Faculty of Energy Systems and Nuclear Science at Ontario Tech University in Canada. Also, he was in the American Nuclear Society’s President’s Committee on the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in Japan. As international nuclear energy expert readers of this interview will gain a rare insight few will experience in their lifetime.

    unnamed 2
    Prof. Akira Tokuhiro

    Our interview with Professor Tokuhiro will be one of many coming over the next several months as we bring you key insights on an industry rarely discussed outside.

    Rana,
    President
    The Student Guild

    Thorium Network Student Guild continues to inspire people all around the world. Come and join our team! You can find the Student Guild member application on this page:

    The Student Guild of The Thorium Network

    Akia Tokuhiro
    Professor Akira Tokuhiro
    Dr. Resat Uzmen
    Dr. Resat Uzmen
    Emre Kirac
    Engineer Emre Kirac
    1. Leading to Nuclear, Interiew #1, Prof. Akira Tokurio, Ontario Technical University, Canada
    2. Launching “Leading to Nuclear, Interviews by the Thorium Network Student Guild”
    3. The Student Guild
    4. Rana on Linkedin

    #StudentGuild #LeadingToNuclear #Interview #MoltenSaltFissionEnergy #Thorium

  • Episode 7 – Beer and Bananas – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 3 Part 1

    Episode 7 – Beer and Bananas – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 3 Part 1

    Post created by Jeremiah Josey and the team at The Thorium Network

    A Little Nuclear History 

    In the sixties, the United States built a new, super-safe,  highly efficient Molten Salt Reactor (MSR). Fuelled by uranium dissolved in a very hot, liquid salt, the MSR had  performance and safety advantages over water-cooled,  uranium-powered, solid-fuel Light Water Reactors (LWRs) – also called “conventional” reactors.  

    The Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment – Oak Ridge National Laboratories

    LWRs are cooled with normal (light) water, a term used  to distinguish them from reactors cooled with “heavy” water – deuterium. LWR pellets contain 3.5 – 5% U-235, with the  remainder being “inactive” U-238 for dilution, but deuterium cooled reactors can utilize un-enriched U-238. (Most nuclear  reactors in use today are LWRs). 

    Alvin Weinberg, the Director of Oak Ridge National Laboratories, proved the superiority of MSRs in hundreds of tests during 22,000 hours of operation, but due to the success of conventional reactors in Admiral Hyman Rickover’s submarines, water-cooled reactors became the choice for commercial power production. Weinberg, who protested that  MSRs were safer and more efficient, was fired, and the MSR  program was terminated, partly for political reasons [See more about Dr Weinberg’s firing here]. 

    Alvin Weinberg

    “I hope that after I’m gone, people will look at all the dusty books ever written on Molten Salt and say hey, these guys had a pretty good idea, lets go back to it.” 

    Alvin Weinberg, 2004 

    There was a second reason: The Cold War was heating up, and the uranium-plutonium fuel cycle of LWRs could be adapted for making bombs. However, making a weapon with MSR technology is more difficult and dangerous.

    little boy 1
    Little Boy

    The Atomic Energy Commission also knew that MSRs could generate abundant, low cost, 24/7 electricity while breeding their own fuel from U-238 or Thorium – and that Thorium would create less waste than conventional reactors. 

    If we had switched to MSRs in the 1960’s instead of  burning carbon, we would have eliminated much of the CO2 that created Climate Change and reduced the toxic emissions that have caused medical expenses in the billions of dollars. 

    From the April, 2013 Scientific American: “Dr. James Hansen, former head of the NASA Goddard  Institute for Space Studies, has said that just our partial reliance on carbon-free nuclear power since 1971 has saved  1.8 million lives that would have been lost due to fossil fuel  pollution. By contrast, we assess that large-scale expansion  of natural gas use would not mitigate the climate change problem and would cause more deaths than expansion of  nuclear power.” 

    Dr. James Hansen
    Dr. James Hansen
    US Health Burden
    US Health Burden

    Carbon-fuelled power plants cause at least 30,000  premature U. S. deaths/year. 

    Because we rejected MSRs, almost all of the electricity  we have generated with nuclear power has been produced by  high pressure, water-cooled LWRs, which require a  containment dome. MSRs do not.  

    Unfortunately, according to Michael Mayfield, head of  the Office of Advanced Reactors at the Nuclear Regulatory  Commission, the NRC is “unfamiliar with most, new small reactor technology, [including MSRs] and has no proven  process to certify one.” (2010) 

    michael mayfield
    Michael Mayfield

    THAT MUST CHANGE!

    In 2013, the U. S. Energy Information Administration predicted that world energy use will increase 56% by 2040.  Most of that increase will come from burning carbon-based  fuels, which will add even more CO2 to our already damaged  biosphere. 

    We must replace CO2-creating power plants with GREEN nuclear power plants! 

    When Radiation Is Safe and When It Isn’t

    The largest obstacle to expanding nuclear power is the fear caused by misinformation about radiation safety, so let’s  begin with a question intended for seniors like me: “Do you still  have your toes?” 

    This foolish sounding question refers to a machine that,  during the [19]thirties and [19]forties, stood near the entrance of every up-to-date shoe store in America. Called the ADRIAN shoe fitting machine, it was ballyhooed as the perfect way to see if  one’s shoes fit properly.

    adrian shoe fitting machine
    ADRIAN Shoe Fitting Machine

     Attractive ads with photos of the marvellous machine  proclaimed, “Now, at last, you can be certain that your  children’s foot health is not being jeopardised by improperly  fitting shoes. If your children need new shoes, don’t buy their shoes blindly. Come in and try our new ADRIAN Fluoroscopic Shoe Fitting machine. Use the new, scientific method of shoe  fitting that careful parents prefer.” 

    adrian shoe fitting machine brochure

    The customers, usually children, inserted their feet into an opening while their parents watched the image in two  viewing ports. Unattended children would often repeatedly switch sides to watch their siblings’ toes wiggle. It was fun,  and no-one gave a thought to X-ray exposure. 

    Despite these fairly high exposures to children who frequently hopped onto the machine just for fun, no malignancies or other damage to the feet of foot-radiating junkies like me were ever reported. 

    Now, as I travel the country with my presentations on  nuclear power, “renewables” and radiation safety, I always  ask the seniors in my audiences, all of whom instantly  recognize the machine, if they still have their toes. 

    During 2016, I queried some 1,000 seniors, but I  never found any evidence of damage. However, my tale of  the shoe-fitting machine always brought laughter and an opportunity to talk about the Merchants of Fear whose hype created a new 20th century word: radiophobia. 

    beer modern marvels
    All natural substances contain radioactive material. In fact, beer contains thirteen times as much radioactivity as the cooling water discharged from a nuclear plant – Modern Marvels

    “We’ve accepted for decades that millions of people are  allowed to be killed by combustion pollution and mass produced weapons. We’ve accepted for at least 100  years that the planet’s climate and oceans can be  allowed to be changed for the worse because of our love of combustion. We even accept poverty and all its ill  effects, simply due to our general inaction. But the safest form of  energy production, nuclear power, is foolishly married to fear of  nuclear weapons.” 
    – Dr. Alex Cannara

    sources of radiation
    Sources of Radiation Exposure

    Radiation from nuclear power is just a tiny part of the “industrial” sliver. 

    We are bathed in radiation for our entire lives – 2/3 from cosmic radiation and elements like radon, and the rest  from elements within us plus from consumer products like  smoke detectors and medical use. We all have some 4,400 beta/gamma decays per second throughout our bodies for life, largely from Potassium-40 in foods like bananas and  potato chips. (Living beside a nuclear power plant for a year is less “dangerous” than eating bananas and potato chips.)

    Living beside a nuclear power plant for a year is less “dangerous” than eating bananas and potato chips.

    Dr. George Erickson

    Remedy for Radiation Fear — Discard the Politicized Science

    by Jerry M. Cuttler

    Giz Explains: Your Fear Of Radiation Is Irrational

    by Geoff Watts

    Fungi That ‘Eat’ Radiation Are Growing on the Walls of Chernobyl’s Ruined Nuclear Reactor

    by Ross Pomeroy

    Because radioactive elements are constantly decaying, our ancestral life forms evolved during times when radiation levels were far higher than they are today. As a consequence,  they evolved some very effective ways to repair the damage to the DNA in our cells caused by radiation and oxidation, which is why we are told to favor anti-oxidants like grapes and greens.  (DNA is “short” for deoxyribonucleic acid, a complex, spiral,  chain-like molecule that contains our genetic codes.)  If you irradiate E. coli bacteria for many generations, the  bacteria evolve amazing radiation resistance, surviving huge  doses of radiation, and some fungi even thrive on radiation.

    “Fear and paranoia are the two most common forms of radiation sickness.” Mike Conley, Road Map to Nowhere

    However, even the highest natural background radiation rate is insignificant compared to the damage caused by our  internal chemistry. DNA bond breaks caused by oxidation and toxins occur more frequently than breaks caused by  background radiation. Our bodies are actively repairing DNA  damage every second of our lives. 

    DNA Structure
    DNA Structure

    If people understood that “…we have billions of cells that die every day and must be replaced, they will be better  able to accept the fact that our bodies have efficient repair  mechanisms that can handle low level radiation”. Science Magazine, March, 2015. (Adults have about 37 trillion cells.) 

    Nobel Prize Awarded to Lindahl, Modrich and Sancar for DNA Studies, Nobel Prize, 2015

    “Each cell contains a coiled mass of DNA that carries  the thousands of genetic instructions that we need to run our  bodies. These strands of DNA undergo thousands of  spontaneous changes every day, and DNA copying for cell  division and multiplication, which happens in the body millions of  times daily, also introduces defects. 

    DNA can be damaged by ultraviolet light from the sun, industrial pollutants and natural toxins like cigarette smoke.  What fights pandemonium are our DNA repair mechanisms. 

    “In the 70s, Dr. Lindahl defied orthodoxy about DNA  stability by discovering a molecular system that counteracts  DNA collapse, and Dr. Sancar mapped out how cells repair DNA  damage from UV light.  

    “People born with defects in this system, when exposed  to sunlight, develop skin cancer, and Dr. Modrich showed how  our cellular machinery repairs errors that arise during DNA  replication, thereby reducing the frequency of error by about  1,000.” 

    Paul Modrich: Mechanisms in E. coli and human mismatch repair

    Coming up next week, Episode 8 – More Beer. More Bananas.

    Links and References

    1. Next Episode 8 – More Beer, More Bananas
    2. Previous Episode – Episode 6 – The Big Deceit
    3. Launching the Unintended Consequences Series
    4. Dr. George Erickson’s Website, Tundracub.com
    5. The full pdf version of Unintended Consequences
    6. Oak Ridge National Laboratories Molten Salt Experiment
    7. https://thethoriumnetwork.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/why-msrs-abandoned-ornl-weinbergs-firing.pdf
    8. Tribute to Dr. Alvin M Weinberg, The Thorium Network Patreon
    9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy
    10. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-mayfield-37a74616b/
    11. https://ncrponline.org/publications/reports/ncrp-report-160/
    12. https://energycentral.com/c/pip/thorium-vs-renewable-energy-climate-change-dr-erickson-mike-conley-jeremiah-josey
    13. https://www.roadmaptonowhere.com/
    14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4036393/
    15. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Cuttler%20JM%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=24910587
    16. https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/07/your-fear-of-radiation-is-irrational/
    17. https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2020/02/04/fungi_that_eat_radiation_are_growing_on_the_walls_of_chernobyls_ruined_nuclear_reactor.html
    18. https://www.realclearscience.com/authors/ross_pomeroy/
    19. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2015/press-release/
    20. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/2015/summary/
    21. Paul Modrich: Mechanisms in E. coli and human mismatch repair

    #GeorgeErickson #UnintendedConsequences #MoltenSaltFissionEnergy #Thorium #ClimateChange #MoltenSaltFissionTechnology #beerandbananas

  • Episode 6 – The Big Deceit – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 2

    Episode 6 – The Big Deceit – Unintended Consequences – Chapter 2

    Post by Jeremiah Josey and the team at The Thorium Network

    “No science is immune to the infection of politics and the corruption of power.”

    Jacob Bronowski
    jacob bronowski

    In 1928, Hermann Muller, the originator of the Linear No Threshold (LNT) theory, exposed fruit flies to 2,750 milliSieverts (mSv) of radiation in just 3 1/2 minutes, which caused gene deletions and deformities. Radiation dose, which we measure in Sieverts, is the biologically effective energy transferred to body tissue by ionizing radiation.)

    Although the dose that Muller used was equivalent to receiving 1,000 mammograms in just 3.5 minutes, he called it a low dose, even though it was extremely high. (Even Japanese atomic bomb survivors didn’t receive such a large dose.)

    Muller then extrapolated his results down to ZERO mSv without testing low levels of radiation and continued to promote his theory into the fifties, perhaps because he wanted to heighten fear of fallout from testing nuclear bombs. Muller argued that there is no safe level for radiation and claimed that even tiny amounts of radiation are cumulative. (According to LNT dogma, a butcher who cuts his finger fairly often will be dead in ten years from blood loss – despite his continuing to work.)

    ernst caspari
    Ernst Caspari

    Muller’s results were disputed by several of his colleagues, one being a researcher named Ernst Caspari, whose work Muller praised. (We learned this after Muller’s correspondence became public late in the 20th century). Muller wrongly asserted that, even at low dose rates over long times, the risk is proportionate to the dose.

    In the fifties, no one knew that our cells routinely repair DNA damage, whether caused by radiation or oxidation, a normal body process, so we accepted his theory. (DNA is “short” for deoxyribonucleic acid, a complex, spiral, chain-like molecule that contains our genetic codes.)

    dna structure key labelled
    By Zephyris – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15027555

    Muller’s theory is analogous to the earth-centered solar system that everyone “knew” was true for thousands of years, and it’s regrettable that so many still believe it. From its beginning, the LNT theory was based on a fraud, and it has been perpetuated by anti-nuclear fearmongers.

    muller receives nobel prize 1946
    muller acceptance speech
    Excerpt from Muller’s Nobel acceptance speech.
    edward calabrese

    So why wasn’t Muller truthful? During a radio interview on IEEE SPECTRUM’s “Techwise Conversations,” Dr. Calabrese explained it this way:

    “Ernst Caspari and Kurt Stern were colleagues, and Muller was a consultant to Stern. Muller provided the fruit fly strain that Stern and his coworkers used. Stern and Muller thought there was a linear dose-response relationship even at low doses….

    “In the chronic study, which was done far better in terms of research methodology than an earlier study, they found that the linear relationship was not supported, and what they observed would be supportive of a [safe] threshold dose- response relationship. This created a conflict—not for the actual researchers like Caspari—but for his boss, Kurt Stern, who tried to convince Caspari that his study didn’t support the linear model because his control group values were artificially high.

    Calabrese Explaining the Fraud of Linear No Threshold Theory

    As recently as September 1 2020, Edward Parsese shows National Academy of Science (NAS) panel members ignored human data that challenged their already-set conclusions. This costs our planet, and our future generations Trillions of dollars and literally the future of our planet. It needs to stop.

    “So Caspari… got lots of unpublished findings from Muller and put together a case that his boss was wrong. Ultimately, he got Stern to accept his findings that supported the threshold dose response. [Which actually meant that there was a threshold below which low levels of radiation were safe.]

    “They sent Caspari’s paper to Muller on Nov. 6, 1946. On Nov.12 he [Muller] wrote to Stern indicating that he went over the paper, and he saw that the results were contrary to what he thought would have happened, that he couldn’t challenge the paper because Caspari was an excellent researcher, that they needed to replicate this, and that this was a significant challenge to a linear dose response because this study was the best study to date, and it was looking at the lowest dose rate that had ever been used in such a study.

    “A month later, Muller went to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Prize, and in his speech, he tells the scientists, dignitaries, press… that one can no longer accept any consideration of a threshold model, that all you can really accept is the linear dose- response model. …Yet Muller had actually seen the results of a study that he was a consultant on, that was the best in showing no support for the linear model – but support for a [safe] threshold model.

    “He had the audacity to actually go in front of all these dignitaries and mislead the audience. He could have said, ‘This is a critical area, and we need to do more research to try to figure this out.’ It would have been intellectually honest and the appropriate thing to say, but that’s not what he says. He tries to actually mislead the audience by saying there’s not even a remote possibility that this alternative exists, and yet he has seen it.”

    Note: as of 12 Feb 2022 this interview is no longer available on IEEE Spectrum (???)

    Radiation’s Big Lie
    Did a Nobel laureate knowingly lie about the dangers of radiation in 1946?
    BY STEVEN CHERRY // FRI, OCTOBER 07, 2011

    Because Muller had also strongly (and appropriately) opposed the atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons, and because he wanted to persuade Congress and the American public to oppose the expansion of nuclear energy, he seems to have concluded that the end would justify his lie, even if it compromised his integrity.

    National Academy Of Sciences ‘Misled The World’ When Adopting Radiation Exposure Guidelines

    No safe level of radiation exposure? Researcher points to suppression of evidence on radiation effects by Nobel Laureate

    us national academy of sciences lnt fraud

    US Risk Assessment Policy: A History of Deception” by Edward Calabrese (Univ. of Chicago Law Review Online, Vol. 79 [2017]

    In November, 2014, Dr. John Boice, president of the National Council on Radiation Protection, stated, ”…the reason they were concerned about the risk of radiation doses all the way to zero was because they used a theory [LNT] for genetic effects that assumed that even a single hit on a single cell could cause a mutation, and they did not believe there was any such thing as a beneficial mutation.”

    When the LNT model was adopted by the National Academy of Sciences in 1956, its summary stated: “Even small amounts of radiation have the power to injure.” The report, which was published in the New York Times, inflated the fear of radiation, even at extremely low levels.

    nas 1956 ltn adoption
    NAS Adopts Fraudulent LNT Theory

    However, newly discovered letters between some of the members of the National Academy of Science committee indicate that the reason for adopting the LNT model was not that small amounts of radiation might be dangerous, but that Muller’s deception (and possibly self-interest), had trumped science – with one individual writing, “I have a hard time keeping a straight face when there is talk about genetic deaths and the dangers of irradiation. Let us be honest—we are both interested in genetics research, and for the sake of it, we are willing to stretch a point when necessary… the business of genetic effects of atomic energy has produced a public scare and a consequent interest in and recognition of the importance of genetics. This is good, since it may lead to the government giving more money for genetic research.”

    In 2015, while reading Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Emperor of All Maladies, a Pulitzer Prize winner about our long battle with cancer, I came upon the following passage:

    “In 1928, Dr. Hermann Muller, one of Thomas Morgan’s students, discovered that X-rays could increase the rate of mutations in fruit flies…” [Morgan, by studying an enormous number of fruit flies, had discovered that the altered genes and mutations could be carried from one generation to the next.]

    “Had Morgan and Muller cooperated, they might have uncovered the link between mutations and malignancy. But they became bitter rivals Morgan refused to give Muller recognition for his theory of mutagenesis…

    “Muller was sensitive and paranoid; he felt that Morgan had stolen his ideas and taken too much credit. In 1933, having moved his lab to Texas, Muller walked into a nearby woods and swallowed a roll of sleeping pills in an attempt at suicide. He survived, but was haunted by anxiety and depression.”

    Knowing this, I wonder if Muller’s need for recognition and his resentment of Morgan, who received the Nobel Prize for his work on fruit fly genetics in 1933, might have caused him to hide the work of Ernst Caspari and others because it would have jeopardised his “fifteen minutes of fame.”

    Muller received his Nobel Prize in 1946, but his deception has promoted the fear of all forms of radiation, however feeble. In addition, it has caused the deaths of millions and accelerated Climate Change by stunting the growth of CO2-free nuclear power, which has required us to burn huge amounts of polluting,health-damaging coal, oil and natural gas.

    (Muller’s claim that tiny amounts of radiation are cumulative is like arguing that 50 jumps off of a one-foot step will be as damaging as one jump from a 50-foot cliff.)

    main 1200

    For the great enemy of the truth is often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the clichés of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.

    US President John F Kennedy 1960-1963

    “To overturn orthodoxy is no easier in science than in philosophy or religion.” Ruth Hubbard

    Due largely to LNT, only a few new nuclear power plants have been designed and built since the NRC was created. There are at least 1,000 papers that prove LNT wrong—all of them ignored by NRC and EPA. On average the NRC creates one new regulation per day, and it can cost a billion dollars just to get approval for a test reactor of a new design.

    Coming up next week, Episode 7 – Beer and Bananas.

    Links and References

    1. Next Episode – Episode 7 – Beer and Bananas 
    2. Previous Episode – Episode 5 – The Big Melt and the Acid Bath
    3. Launching the Unintended Consequences Series
    4. Dr. George Erickson on LinkedIn
    5. Dr. George Erickson’s Website, Tundracub.com
    6. The full pdf version of Unintended Consequences
    7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Bronowski
    8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent_of_Man
    9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_no-threshold_model
    10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sievert
    11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Caspari
    12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA
    13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Calabrese
    14. https://www.umass.edu/sphhs/person/edward-j-calabrese
    15. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ed-calabrese-697a1119/
    16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rKQ-OPmjE4
    17. https://www.umass.edu/news/article/new-calabrese-paper-continues-criticism
    18. https://spectrum.ieee.org/podcast/at-work/education/radiations-big-lie/
    19. National Academy Of Sciences ‘Misled The World’
    20. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920163320.htm
    21. US Risk Assessment Policy: A History of Deception” by Edward Calabrese
    22. https://ncrponline.org/2018-council-members/
    23. https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-boice-29b91a14/
    24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddhartha_Mukherjee
    25. https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddhartha-mukherjee-19b6b8126/
    26. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Hubbard
    27. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1559325818779651
    28. https://www.heartland.org/publications-resources/publications/low-level-radiation-benefits-human-health
    29. https://21sci-tech.com/articles/nuclear.html
    30. https://radiationeffects.org/
    31. https://www.x-lnt.org/
    32. Molly Cheshire Interviews Scientist on Radon and LOW Cancer Rates!
    33. https://atomicinsights.com/atomic-show-224-dr-john-boice-ncrp/
    34. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2663584/
    35. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27493264/
    36. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29475999/
    37. https://bimedis.com/latest-news/browse/217/reexamining-the-linear-no-threshold-model

    #ClimateChange #UnintendedConsequences #GeorgeErickson #FissionEnergy #NuclearEnergy #FossilFuels #LinearNoThreshold